Sai Gouri Priya, Khatija Rahman to Vijay Kanishka: 10 breakout talents who earned their place in Tamil cinema in 2024

Sri Gouri Priya in Lover

Every romance film is only as good as its leads. Even if the writing is top notch, it requires competent actors who would make us feel the love in the air is very real. However, in debutant director Prabhuram Vyas’ terrific Lover, Manikandan and Sri Gouri Priya also had to convince us that the love in the air was slowly dissipating, and was also suffocating. While Manikandan has already developed quite a reputation for such intense roles, it was refreshing to see an actor who didn’t shy away from being the not-so-perfect girlfriend. Sri Gouri Priya ensured that her conflicted character of Divya in Lover was as strong as Manikandan’s Arun. Was Divya right or wrong? One might have contrasting answers. But the answer to ‘Was Sri Gouri Priya effective as Divya?’ would be unanimously positive.   

Preity Mukundhan – Star

Preity Mukundhan and Kavin in Star

In a film about the starry aspirations of an actor that gets derailed due to an unfortunate accident, a girl who leaves him will undoubtedly be seen as an antagonist. In Kavin’s Star, on the outset, Preity Mukundhan’s Meera might seem like a bad person, she is anything but. She embodies a woman who tries to be there for the man she loves. Even when he ghosts her due to his insecurities, she finds him and makes him understand that he would be there for her. But what if, at one point, he isn’t there for himself. Now, does that mean she stays even after being asked to leave? Meera was a practical person with a golden heart, and Preity wonderfully showcased the turmoil of such a character, and when she finally takes the decision, the writing and her performance convince us that Meera isn’t wrong, she is just tired. Also, Preity was part of the viral 2024 song, Aasa Kooda, and well… viral is the new breakout. 

Vijay Kanishka – Hit List

Vijay Kanishka made his acting debut in Hit List

Hit List was a rather interesting film, backed by KS Ravikumar, and directed by Soorya Kathir and Karthikeyan. It was a gritty thriller about a man forced to do actions against his will to save his family from death. It wasn’t an easy film to carry on the shoulders of a debut actor, but ace director Vikraman’s son, Vijay Kanishka, managed to do that effectively. Although he does take time to grow on us, Vijay gradually loops us into the film with his earnest performance. With a film that allowed him to showcase his all-round talent, including his action skills and acting skills, Vijay is one of those few actors of 2024 who made a strong debut in a film that offered him just the right platform to make a decent leap into stardom. 

Pari Elavazhagan – Jama

Pari Elavazhagan in Jama

In Tamil cinema, many actors who want to make a name for themselves become filmmakers first and then launch their acting careers. There are many examples of such actor-filmmakers who are sought-after actors now despite starting their careers on the director’s chair. However, in an interesting twist of fate and effort, debut director Pari Elavazhagan made the terrific Jama to showcase the talent of relatively new actor Pari Elavazhagan. Written, directed and performed by Pari, Jama is a heartfelt tale of therukoothu artists, and explores the ideas of masculinity, sacrifice, brotherhood, and the immense love for the art overshadowing everything else. Through a layered character that allowed him to cement his credentials as a talented actor, Pari definitely backed a winning horse. 

Khatija Rahman – Minmini 

Khatija Rahman

Being a star kid is easy on some levels, and difficult on the others. But being the kid of a once-in-a-generation talent is a different ball game altogether, especially if you are entering the same field your father/mother is a legend in. It is into such huge shoes that Khatija Rahman, the daughter of Oscar winner AR Rahman stepped into when she composed the music for Halitha Shameem’s beautiful film, Minmini. With some lilting tunes and a haunting background score, Khatija stamped her individuality right from her debut Tamil film. The way she handled the media was equally good as Khatija never shied away from accepting her privilege, but not without establishing that she was her own musician. Right from the way she approached questions about comparisons with her legendary father to letting her music do most of the talking, Khatija was a surprise breakout talent of 2024. Oh, and her social media game was on point too. 

Malavika Mohanan – Thangalaan

Malavika Mohanan as Aarathi in Thangalaan

It isn’t always that a heroine gets an author-backed role in mainstream commercial Indian cinema. While there can be an argument made that Pa Ranjith’s Thangalaan wasn’t exactly mainstream, Tamil cinema is wired differently because there is no non-mainstream in the industry. Every film, however ‘different’ it is, has to compete in the same release pool, and this invariably pushes actors to go for roles that keep them commercially viable. In this journey, the heroines are most affected because their roles in star-driven films aren’t always properly crafted. Despite starring alongside the likes of Rajinikanth, Vijay, Dulquer Salmaan, and Dhanush, Malavika Mohanan hadn’t established her credentials as a ‘good actor.’ That changed when Pa Ranjith thought she was the suitable candidate to play the mystical Aarathi in Thangalaan. Her role is the soul of the film that plays out like a whimsical oscillation between dream and a nightmare. She plays the voice of reason, and the cry for hope, and it is through her compelling act that we understand the machinations of Ranjith’s vision. Malavika’s career can easily be categorised as pre and post-Thangalaan. 

Ponvel and Raghul – Vaazhai

Ponvel and Raghul from Vaazhai

It is always tough for a filmmaker to direct children because of their mercurial and inquisitive nature. But Mari Selvaraj, who made Vaazhai from pages out of his own life, knew exactly what he wanted. And cast Ponvel and Raghu as two friends who managed to always find a reason to smile and laugh even when things got tougher for them. Although Ponvel did play the ‘lead’ in Vaazhai, Raghul was the perfect foil. It is this duo that really worked in driving home the emotional core of Vaazhai. They sold the smiles as good as they sold the dreams. They were as pragmatic as they were passionate. They made us tear up as efficiently as they made us laugh. Two solid performers whose strength was their innocence and rawness. 

Swasika – Lubber Pandhu

Swasika from Lubber Pandhu

When there are conversations surrounding age gap among lead actors, there are also counter arguments that actors are just playing roles, and if they deliver convincing performances, everything else is forgotten. As a 33-year-old actor, Swasika played the mother of a 24 year-old Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, and the prospective mother-in-law of a 34-year-old Harish Kalyan. Now, actors playing characters much older than them isn’t new, but full points to director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu for envisioning Swasika in the role of Yashodha, who zoomed right to the top in the list of favourite onscreen characters of 2024. Although she has been part of a handful of Malayalam and Tamil films, Lubber Pandhu has become the calling card for the actor now. In fact, many were shocked to know that she wasn’t a middle-aged greying woman in her 40s in real life. Isn’t that the hallmark of a good actor? And through her wonderful performance in scenes with both Sanjana and ‘Gethu’ Dinesh, Swasika ensured people would remember her as Yashodha for a long time.

Samyuktha Vijayan – Neela Nira Sooriyan

Samyuktha Vijayan from Neela Nira Sooriyan

It is important for the systemically and societally oppressed to have the space to tell their own stories. Often in cinema, this space isn’t present, it has to be created. And one such creation of 2024 was Neela Nira Sooriyan, which was about the transition of a transwoman, and the challenges that come her way. Written and directed by Samyuktha Vijayan, who also played the lead in the film, Neela Nira Sooriyan was inspired by her own story and spoke about the importance of financial independence required in such circumstances. As a performer, she brought in an understated nuance to the character that often goes missing in such roles. As a writer and filmmaker, she brought in a perspective that never once makes us look at her character with a sense of high-handed sympathy. The film looks at the entire transition process in a very matter-of-fact way and removes the melodramatic angle that is often highlighted onscreen. This refreshing take spoke not just about the underlying layers of familial support, but also how even the government’s progressive measures don’t factor in the complete picture. 

Kani Thiru – Parachute

Kani Thiru in Parachute

Disney+Hotstar’s Parachute was a welcome relief in the Tamil OTT space, which blew hot and cold in the year 2024. Some were decent, and some passed muster in a year that mostly had disappointments in store from the various streaming platforms. However, Parachute, which was more of a limited series with five episodes that had the total runtime of a feature film, came at the right time to win the hearts of many. Of course, the kids, played by Iyal and Shakthi, are the highlights of the series that talks about toxic parenting, and the struggles of a middle-class household. But just like how such Indian households are built on the foundation of the resilience of the woman of the house, Parachute too is hinged on Kani Thiru’s performance. While it might seem that she doesn’t do a lot in the series, it is her quiet demeanour that says more than words can do. Her subtle expressions when oscillating between motherly affection and fear of potential violence, and yet settling down in a cautious love summarises the character, and to Kani’s credit, she communicates it through her consummate performance in her first leading role.